Box handle structure



May 16 1944 JQ w. MclLv-VRAITH ETAL, 2,348,828

BOX HANDLE STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 25, 1942 f .EoIl-i. L. 4- 22 H z5 FI ZI 24 /4 Imoq' B 4Z Z E Patented May 1.6, 1944 BOX HANDLE STRUCTURE John W. McIlWraith and Edward L. Miller, New

Castle, Pa., assgnors to Associated Box Corporation Application September 25, 1942, Serial No. 459,695

(ol. 16g-125) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to a handle structure for containers and more particularly the form thereof and the force distributing connection therebetween.

At present, chieiiy for export shipment to the Orient and other localities not having mechanical facilities ior handling and transporting boxed heavy loads, great diiculty is experienced in providing for such boxes or -containers handle structures capable of manual application without failure.

It has been discovered the heavy loads (containers) if provided with one or more loop-like handles at each end, can be readily hand-led and transported by two or moreY porters, one or more being at each end of the load. I-f a single handle is provided at each end and centrally positioned, a long pole can be passed through same and one or more porters at eachl end thereof thus carry said load. If two handles are'provided at each end, a pair of poles may be provided an-d two, four or more porters can easily carry same and therincluded load.

Since the containers are usually heavily loaded, as with guns, ammunition and other war materials and supplies, the problem is to` provide a suflicientl-y strong, relatively inexpensive handle structure and one capable of anchorage so that it will not fail or become detached from the container.

The presen-t invention, therefore, has as its primary objective the provision of suchA a handle structure meeting the` aforesaid requirements.-

The chief feature,I of the present invention consists in applying to a container a cotton web= loing strap, preferably in loop handle form: and anchoring same te the container in such amanner that pull out separation does not occur under normal use.

Another chief feature of the'present invention is to provide aload distributing type ar'icho'r-v age whereby the effective load strain upon any localized portion of the strap is less than the strap shearing capacity, although the total load exceeds same, and the ,strap anchorage-proper can receive and distribute the load without strap' Y Othercbjects and featrfes-jef trie will set forth more: full-y' l'llere'4 aft'e The il nature of the'inveritieip il be l' vom the accompanying d vention i is a perspective viewof aeernerffifone forni orr cleatedv container'. the top ard'lbcttcm being omitted, and to which a handle embody- Aing the invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of one form of strap anchor plate.

Fig.r 3 is a transverse sectional View through the handle anchoring portion and associated parts.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified form ci anchor plate.

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3 of the invention including wthe plate shown in Fig, 4.

Fig. 6 is a digrammatic sketch of the invention shown in Figure 5, full lines indicating the .initial and dotted lines, indicating the final or load applied positions of the anchor plate,

Fig. l'i is a perspective of a further modiiied clip.

Figi. 8 is a longitudinal section similar to Figs. 3 and 5 and illustrates the use of the plate shown in Fig'. 7.

In Figs. 1 and .3 of the drawing lil indicates the side, Il the end and I3 an end cleat, of one form of cleated box. Herein nails (or screws) I4 secure the cleat to the end Il and nails (or screws) l5 secure the sides to the ends and adjacent cleats. Herein the end cleat on and in its end confronting face I2 is provided with a cha-nriel or recess I6, which opens ori a side face of the cleat as at I'l.

` While herein a container, as illustrated, would be provided at each end with inclined recesses as singularly illustrated, but in reversed relaticn, that is directed towards each other, the container maybe of full cleated character and the tcp cleat may be provided with a dow-nwardly opening recess medianly positioned between the ends of that cleat. In this case the strap loop, hereinafter to be described would normally hang downwardly from the top cleat and lie' in the chamber formed by theperipheral cleat arrangement. When in use' the strap would be held upwardly and doubtless bear upon the' outer fa'ce of the cleat.

In Fig. 1, there islillis'trated a 'lop form of strep, la indicating the reep-portieri, and 19'- the adjacent lapping' ends or" such strap',- see" Fig. 3.

"These: two ends are seated in die greov or' rr;

cess le andv in the prsent fermf meistentren a distributing: piace reis i'nterpdsed therebetween;

Suclr af plat'cysee 2, has elongated body portion 2i), is substantially, but' not necessarily, or strap width and at one transverse edge" is provided with opposaely kdirected teeth 2|. The teeth engage in the confronting facesv of the strap ends as shown in Fig. 3. The strap is of multiply cotton webbing and may be similar to that utilized for army trouser belts. Such webbing of an inch width and one-eighth inch thickness has a capacity of from 700 to 1000 pounds tensile strength before stretch failure occurs. Its shearing resistance, that is resistance to cutting action, is exceptionally less as evidenced by the fact that such webbing can readily be cut by a hand shears or pocket knife using ordinary hand pressure.

To utilize such material having such divergent values, as a handle, presents the problem of strap anchorage wherein the shearing effect, incident to load strain application, is substantially eliminated, or otherwise expressed, the load strain,

instead of being localized and applied as a shearing strain, is distributed and handle failure, under actual tests at the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory, occurs by shearing action under a load strain of from '700 to 1000 pounds, or almost that of the tensile failure value of the strap or webbing.

Failure, or pull-out" accordingly with this invention, instead of occurring at twenty to fifty pounds or even a hundred pounds, will not occur until the load applied is '700 or more pounds.

Experiments, accordingly, have demonstrated that handle pull-out failure occurs approximately at tensile strength failure.

To further understand these actions, reference is had to Figs. 1 and 3. Therein it is noted one of the nails I passes through the cleat, the strap ends, the anchor plate, the cleat recess and extends into the box end. If the anchor plate were omitted, load on the loop I8 would cause the nail iii to out the ends I9 like a knife. The load failing value accordingly would be very low. Now, with the nail passing through the plate as at 22, and load applied to loop I8, said load is taken by the teeth 2| and transmitted to plate 20 and by it at 22 to nail |4. Now, before pull-out can occur the nail, i4 must shear the metal plate 20 at 22.

It is by reason of this anchor arrangement that handle failure and tensile strength failure are of approximately the same value. Actual experiments show that in many cases the strap ends and the plate bodily move outwardly a slight amount and nail i4 has formed therein a laterally directed U-shaped portion before actual pull-out or failure can occur. Of course, when so tested for failure the nail lll also shears the strap ends the amount that the ends and plate move before failure actually occurs, but such shearing is incidental and of no consequence in the present invention, whereas if the plate were omitted and nail I4 passed only through such strap ends, such shearing would be highly critical.

It is not essential that nail i4 pass through plate 20 for the edge 23 may abut same and the same distributing effect. be obtained. In this connection also it is to be observed that the teeth 2| are connected by arc-shaped formations 24 to the body of the plate 20. Also, it is to be observed, see Fig, 2, that the outside teeth are directed outwardly, as well as toward the adjacent web. When strain is appliedto the strap, the teeth dig into and imbed into the adjacent faces of the ends I9. Since initially the plate 20 may be considered immovable, the teeth 2| tend to further imbed in the ends I and then bend backward toward edge 23.

.When the teeth so bend, the plate holding of the ends ceases and all load then is concentrated on the strap ends where the nail |4 passes therethrough, shearing occurs and failure follows. The explanation is given solely to indicate how failure can occur when the handle is tested for failure.

It is quite apparent that with four handles a container having a total load of twenty-four hundred pounds can be readily transported by manual labor, and as shown in Fig. 1, by the use of poles 30, this load can be distributed among two, four, eight or more porters, so no porter will be overloaded.

Reference will now be had to Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive. In these figures 2|0 indicates the sides, 2|| the ends, 2|3 the cleat, 2|6 the groove or re- I cess therein, 2|8 the strap forming the loop and having ends 2|9 seated in said groove and projecting from opening 2|1. Nails 2|4 secure the cleat to the end and nails 2|5 secure the side to the box end and cleat.

Referring now to Fig. 4, plate 220 includes angular portion 224 with teeth 22| at one end. The other end of said plate including abutment portion 223 with teeth 222. As shown in Fig. 5 this plate is positioned between the strap lapping ends 2|9 and teeth 22| and 220 at opposite ends of said plate imbed in said ends.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be observed that one angular portion bears against nail 2|4, see also Fig. 5, and as shown therein the oppositely directed teeth imbed in the strap ends.

When load is applied to the handle, the plate 220 engages nail 2M and stop further handle movement until the nail is bent U-shaped in the groove, or the angular portion bends back at right angles. This, of course, means the teeth on that portion move to transverse position. At the same time the foregoing occurs, the strain on the other strap tends to move the other angular portion and adjacent teeth transversely. Failure occurs when either set or both sets of teeth move beyond the perpendicular toward the other set, or towards each other. Of course, nail V 2||| does shear the strap ends 2|9 to thedegree necessary to move the handle to cause the nail and angular portion contact and bearing.

Fig. 6 illustrates the load sustaining position by dotted lines, the full lines indicating the initial assembled position prior to load applicationf,

'I'he foregoing embodiments illustrate theabutment and pierced contact types, the singular toothed end and opposite toothed endtypes, and the oppositely directed teeth in one end,for at opposite end types. Other types of anchor plates have been tried. Likewise, there is ynothin'gto prevent piercing plate 220 by nail 2|4,7or'having a special nail in lieu of cleat retaining nail 2H orl f Reference will now be had to Figs.' 7 and 8 wherein a different form of anchor, clip vand plate and modified form of anchorage is illustrated in that two clips are necessary. AEach clip is U-shaped in end elevationv and each; end 424 has its edge provided with strap engaging teeth 42|. Herein the teeth extend in the same direction from the body portion 42|), see Fig. '1. In Fig. 8, the invention is illustrated and since oneJ clip can imbed its teeth into only lone strap 1,e"ndVf 1||9,Y two clips,` oppositely positioned, are provided. These clips abut each other and one 4abutsthe retainer, the nail 4|4 extending from cleat 4| 3 to end l4|| and through groove -4 |'6 and strap ends 4 9. A

The operation is substantially the same as pre.

viously described. Load strain on the handle causes the clips to engage each other and the one closest to nail 4 I 4 to engage said nail. When these engagements are effected, the teeth 42i imbed in the strap ends M9, as 4before described. Failure only can occur when the load is so great that the substantially perpendicular teeth 42| bend appreciably and angularly away from the nail or direction of the load strain, as shown by dotted lines Y in Fig. 8. Such tooth bending occurs when the teeth 42! shear the strap ends M9.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in great detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character.

The several modifications described herein as well as others which will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art, all are cont sidered to be within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A strap handle anchorage for a container havin-g a fabric strap receiving recess, including in combination a fabric strap having an end seated in the recess, a retaining member and an anchor plate means of appreciable width juxtapositioned to the retaining member and adjacentJ the strap end and recess seated, said anchor means including a plurality of strap engaging teeth seatable in the strap for local distribution of total strain when the member and means have engagement under strap applied strain.

2. An anchorage as defined by claim l characterized by the container including a wall portion and a cleat portion with confronting faces, the recess being positioned therebetween, the retaining member passing through the recess seated strap portion and the anchor means and through one portion and into the other portion.

3. An anchorage for a fabric strap having considerable tensile strength in a longitudinal direction compared to its shearing or cutting resistance in the same direction, including in combination a strap retaining member passing through the same, and an anchor member having operative engagement with said retaining member when the strap is under appreciable tensile strain, said anchor member having a plurality of transverse- 1y offset teeth embeddable in the strap when the latter is under appreciable tensile strain, said teeth distributing the total load strain, when the anchor member and retaining member are engaged, to localized portions of the strap, to reduce the localized load .at any point, in the anchored portion to a value below the unit shearing or -cutting force value of the strap to prevent pull-out. .Y

4. In a container having a cleat thereon with a recess in the container confronting face thereof, the recess having an opening at one end, the combination of a fabric strap member having a free end inserted in the recess and a hand engageable portion projecting therefrom, a retainer extending through the cleat, recess and into the container and assisting in cleat retention upon the container, and strap anchoring means seatable in the recess and operatively associated with the retainer for retention in the recess thereby and having strap engaging teeth for distributing the strain localized upon the retainer across the width of the strap.

5. In a container having a cleat thereon with a recess in the container confronting face thereof, the recess having an opening at one end, the combination of a fabric strap member having a free end inserted in the recess and a hand engageable portion projecting therefrom, a retainer extending through the cleat, recess and into the container and assisting in cleat retention upon the container, and strap anchoring means seatable in the recess and operatively associated with the retainer for retentionl in the recess thereby and having a plurality of longitudinally spaced series of strap engaging teeth, each series having a plurality of transversely arranged teeth, said teeth distributing the strain localized upon the retainer across the width of the strap and longitudinally of strap.

6. A container as defined by claim 4 characterized by the anchor means including a plurality of toothed members, opposite ends of each toothed member having its teeth similarly directed.

7. In a container having a cleat thereon with a recess in the container confronting face thereof, the recess having an opening at; one end and opening toward the center of box, the combination of a loop handle forming fabric strap having opposed layers at the handle end seated in the recess, strap anchoring means interposed between the layers and nested in the recess therewith and having teeth at its inner end and oppositely directed for embedment into the adjacent face of the strap upon load strain application thereto, and cleat retaining means extending therethrough the strap and across the recess and into the container, engageable by the strap anchor means for receiving the strap applied load to the retaining means.

8. A strap handle anchorage for a container having a recess for receiving a fabric strap therein, including in combination a fabric strap arranged in loop formation and having both ends lapping each other and seated in the container recess, a retaining member carried by the container and passing through the recess seated ends of the strap and extending across the recess, and an anchor plate means of appreciable width and length and juxtapositioned to the retaining member and seated in the recess and between the strap lapping ends and including a plurality of oppositely directed strap engaging teeth seatable in the lapping ends when load strain is applied to the strap, said plate means having operative engagement with the member when the load strain is applied to the strap, said plate means by tooth end-strap and plate means-member engagements distributing the total load strain in the strap to the teeth engaged portions thereof whereby the local strain at any tooth engaged portion is Well below the limit of strap failure at that portion.

JOHN W. MCILWRAITH. EDWARD L. MILLER,` 

